If you start work at 9am, should you arrive at 8.50am?

[pontipinemum]

I watched a video recently where people were complaining that if they started work at 9am, 3pm what ever it might be that they will turn up on the dot if their boss expects them to be there earlier they need to pay them more.

I do agree, as apparently some places ask you to arrive 15mins early for a seamless cross over. Which could actually work out at nearly 60 unpaid hours over the year.

I have been bang on time arriving to work and would not consider myself late but I had 1 boss who would consider that late and she made sure I knew.

But if you want to get in, get a cuppa tea, say hi to people you aren't arriving 10 mins early to actually start work. I have worked with people who come in at 9am on the dot, then go to the kitchen for 20 mins before even turning on the computer.

I wfh now so I do tend to start a bit earlier then my official start time

You should start work at 9 in your example. So be at your post, working.

Not hanging your coat up, going to the loo, sorting your desk out, walking to the till, etc.

Because otherwise, it's the opposite of your example. People being paid 15 minutes a day for nothing.

I’m if the opinion that if you start at 9, you are sat at your desk, pen in hand ready to work, ie you are in, jacket off, drinks made, chat done, computer on and logged in at 9. I am in about 8.35/8.40 as I like that time first thing to get organised.

If you start work at 9 am, you need to be at your workplace, ready to start on time.

No-one gets paid for commuting time - which includes all the way to your desk or whatever, in the correct attire, ready to begin.

It is also sensible to build in a margin in case of hold ups during your commute.

I think it very much depends in your job and role.

I teach so couldn't just show up at the designated start time and actually be ready to begin.

However, dd worked in a restaurant for a large company and you could be penalised if you clocked in too early (or too late) for a shift. The aim was to try and clock in as close to the designated start time, without going over.

In your example, the person arriving at 9am but then going to the kitchen for drinks, etc isn't 'on time.'
To be on time, unless your role says otherwise, would be to be ready to do the actual work at that time. 🕰️

I was a teacher and arrived at school at 7.15-7.30. Arriving at 8.40 for an 8.40 start wouldn’t have worked at all. There were briefings and meetings anyway and duties and prep for assembly, photocopying, tech set up for lessons, emails to read and respond to, people to catch up with, parents to contact and a million other things.

You can’t arrive and start work on the dot, I don’t think.

Be there, in uniform, computer fired up and logged into, all programs logged into, beverage and morning snack ready, toileted and ready to work at 9am

If it takes twenty minutes to be in that state, then arrive at 08:40

I'd hate to go back to start and finish times like that. Thankfully in a sector which provides flexibility.

I run a bar, and we say that staff have to be ready to take their first order at whatever time their shift starts. Not walk in the door at that time, then take their coat off, go to loo etc.

Yeah, depends what you're doing
Receptionist at the doctors - the phone starts going at 8 sharp, you need to be there 7.45 to have a wee and get a drink.
You're chairing the board meeting by zoom and it starts at 9.30 - gotta be online earlier so your laptop doesn’t start updating and you can open the zoom at 8.57.
Writing a random thing and your usual hours are 9-5 - come in close to 9, be available from 9 if anyone needs you, probably nobody minds if you're getting coffee til 9.15. Or what my team do, log on and say hello, check urgency of stuff, pause and get coffee at 9.30ish.

And also don't whinge if you have to stay til 5.15 if a meeting runs over (obviously things like picking up kids/catching trains should be clearly diarised).

I found it amusing one time when I was in hospital and I was the first patient in the consultant's ward rounds and one of the junior doctors in the possé around him still had bicycle helmet on, lycra and hivis clothing and rucksack on - possibly she should have turned up 10 mins before her official start time (I didn't mind and for all i know she might have only had a 6 hour break since the end of her last 14 hour shift)

I’m a teacher too so thinks it’s slightly different to working in an office- if the kids come in at 8:45am I’m at work usually by 7:30 just to ensure things are switched on and things previously prepped are in place because it’s like doing 4 presentations in a day. But within that I give myself a good 20 min to to get a coffee check the board for notices and have a brief chat because I like to relax into the day starting rather than rushing around frantically. Same reason why I get earlier than I need to in the mornings.

if I was working on an office I actually think I’d arrive 20 - 30 min earlier to do that because it’s so ingrained in me now 😂

My DH is expected at work 60 minutes before his start time. At least when he leaves late (nearly every day), he claims overtime. 6hrs a week he doesn't get paid for but has to be there. It gets on my wick.

I am paid from 8.15. Sometimes I arrive at 8, sometimes, 8.25. This is normal where I work. We never, ever finish on time and line manager is happy for us to take some time back in the morning depending on commitments/school runs.

Me too. I was still in the office kitchen getting a cuppa and talking about Married at First Sight with the FD and COO 15 minutes after my official start time yesterday!

Depends on your workplace and industry. For me, official working hours really underrepresent the hours people actually do- I’m 9.30-5.30 but often start at 8am and work past 6 (and sometimes much later). So on a rare quiet day no one cares whether someone is there at 9.20 or 9.40- we’re trusted to be on top of what we need to do. If you work strictly to your hours and never start before 9 or carry on after 5 then you should probably be ready to work at 9.

I think there is a difference between work activity and non work activity

Making a drink = non work activity
Logging into computers and checking emails = work activity

I am not a fan of employers who push work activity into employees time - e.g completing security checking procedures, especially as many of these workers are minimum wage workers and if this extra time was included they would fall below minimum wage.

I think there is a real issue of exploitation of workers who are told to be in before their working hours for handover or logging in to multiple programmes when these are work activities and should be in work time only.

Coat off, been to the toilet, at your desk for 9, yes. If the computer takes a while to start up I wouldn't be waiting for it to do so in my own time, likewise any work related discussions need to be on paid time. I had a job (min wage) where they wanted us there 15 mins early for a verbal handover - fuck that. If you want 15 mins of my time you can pay for it.

As others have said, it depends on the job. I’m an academic, so my timings are very flexible to an extent, outside of project/book/grant deadlines, marking deadlines etc, but if I’m giving a 9 am lecture to 100 2nd years, I’ll be in the theatre a minimum of ten minutes before to check tech, run through my Powerpoints etc

I worked for one man who expected you to be fully logged on by 9am and you couldn’t log off before 5.30pm. He would check the weekly computer logs and you would be penalised if you were one minute out.

If you want to make a cuppa and do the pleasantries before you start work, you should arrive 5-10 minutes early. If, like me, you just get in and crack on, on the dot is fine.

If it's a 9 o'clock start you need to be ready to go at 9 IMO. I like to to get in early to get a cup of tea etc before I start.
The same for going home time. We used to call people Levi workers because they were nowhere to be seen by 501.

I need to be at my desk 10 mins before to log in to all systems and be ready to start at my start time. Can do it in 7 mins if pushed!

If you have to get changed you are allowed to clock in at start time and use there time to get ready when leaving to get changed you have to finish dead on finish time and get changed in your own time

Flight attendants, in the USA certainly, but I think it's fairly common elsewhere, start their shift when the plane doors close.

https://www.flyingmag.com/guides/flight-attendant-schedule/

I'm expected to start working at the time I'm due to start my shift. This means I arrive half an hour before to switch on the pc, open all the programs I need, make a drink, go to the loo etc.

People are entitled to leave on time